May is an excellent time of year for birding. Many species migrate back from their winter homes, it is warm enough to enjoy being outdoors, and trees have not yet leafed out making it much easier to spot and photograph subjects. I was fortunate to discover an owl’s nest which I visited often over the course of the month and got to watch as a pair of owlets grew up and eventually fledged. Equally exciting was learning about a bald eagle nest located less than a mile from our new house. It fills me with great joy that these majestic once-endangered birds have made such a strong recovery. A powerful reminder of our ability as humans to harm our natural world as well as our capacity to help it heal.

May was also the month in which Nicolai graduated with a Master’s Degree in Education and he now teaches history at the Concord Middle School.